'Really good cricket': Dravid on England's 'Bazball' approach

England's attacking approach to Test cricket has found an admirer in India head coach Rahul Dravid, the batter they called the 'Wall'.

Under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon 'Baz' McCullum, England have played fearless cricket putting entertainment above outcome, which has endeared them to the fans.

But their 'Bazball' approach faces its toughest challenge in India, who have not lost a Test series on home soil since 2012 and levelled the series at 1-1 with a handsome win in the second match in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

Former India captain Dravid appreciated England's approach, built around swashbuckling batting, to a format he held close to his heart.

"I'm not sure how happy they are about the term, but they are playing really good cricket, let's be honest about it," Dravid said.

"It's not wild slogging, they are actually showing some very good skills.

"Some of the shots they are playing require a lot of skills and ability. You can't just come and execute those things."

Dravid said England's approach was not one-dimensional.

"There's more to it than just attacking cricket. I have seen at times they know when to pull back, when to attack," he added.

"They have been playing differently, there's no doubt about it."

But India will take heart from a win that came in absence of stalwart Virat Kohli, who skipped the first two Tests for personal reasons, and the injured duo of batter KL Rahul and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Dravid expects the rivalry to only intensify when the teams clash in Rajkot for the third Test beginning on February 15.

"Happy we are able to bounce back but we recognise it's going to be a fantastic series and some tough cricket will be played over the next three games," Dravid said.

Meanwhile, Stokes has heaped praise on his inexperienced spinners, who gave a good account of themselves despite their side losing the second Test.

Rehan Ahmed, playing his third Test, combined with Tom Hartley, who debuted in Hyderabad, and debutant Shoaib Bashir to claim 15 of the 20 Indian wickets.

"Looking at them, five or six Tests between them, to bowl the way they did yesterday without Joe - what they produced was incredible," Stokes said post-game.

"They showed a lot of maturity and skills beyond their years and I am very proud of them."

England suffered a setback when Jack Leach, their spin spearhead, hurt his knee in the series opener in Hyderabad and was ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

To make it worse, part-timer Joe Root hurt his finger on Sunday, and bowled just two overs in India's second innings.

Veteran James Anderson, England's lone fast bowler in the contest, also impressed in his 184th Test, producing moments of exceptional seam bowling to claim five wickets.

England’s impressive efforts with the ball came as Stokes felt his side were let down by technology at a crucial moment but the captain has refused to blame the result on "if, buts and maybes".

The tourists were bowled out for 292 on day four of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, going down by 106 runs as they fell well short of a history-making chase.

Opener Zak Crawley had looked the man most likely to do something special and his dismissal for 73 just before lunch turned the game decisively in India's favour.

Kuldeep Yadav's lbw shout was initially turned down by experienced umpire Marais Erasmus, who judged the ball to missing leg stump, but DRS ruled in the bowler's favour when ball-tracking suggested it was going on to hit.

England lost Jonny Bairstow in the next over and never quite recovered.

"My personal opinion is that the technology has gone wrong on this occasion. That's where I stand on it," Stokes said.

"Technology in the game is obviously there and everyone has an understanding of the reasons it can never be 100 per cent. That's why we have the 'umpire's call'.

"So when it's not 100 per cent, I don't think it's unfair for someone to say 'I think the technology has got it wrong'.

"I will say that, but in a game full of ifs, buts and maybes I am not going to say that's the reason why we haven't got the result we wanted."

England's score was the second-highest fourth-innings total any overseas team have scored in Indian conditions, but the scale of their target was simply too great to overcome without a big century to build around.

Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley were all battling against illness that emerged in the camp overnight, along with the injured Jack Leach at the team hotel, leaving Stokes proud of the fight his side put up.

"There's a bit of a virus going round, a couple of guys woke up not feeling great," he said.

"It's not ideal, you want everyone to be feeling great but I'm proud that the guys who were feeling under the weather didn't shy away and gave it their best."

England's aggressive display in defeat and even dismissals like Root's for 16, an agricultural heave from the side's most elegant player, do not give Stokes pause for thought.

"I think our approach is what we're known for, the way in which we play," he said.

"We want to stay very true to ourselves. I was happy with the way we went about that chase. That's exactly how we play cricket. It won't always work but a loss is a loss; you don't get any points losing by five and you don't get less for losing by 100."